Concrete and block look permanent, though both pull in water like a sponge once saturated soil presses against them for days. Foundation waterproofing from Piedmont Pressure Seal covers Winston-Salem, NC, and surrounding towns like Clemmons, Lewisville, and Advance, sealing the outside of your walls so moisture never reaches the masonry. Expect plain language about what your foundation needs and what it doesn't.
Foundations have been Piedmont Pressure Seal LLC's main business since 1989, with the locally owned, fully insured company operating from Winston-Salem, NC. Its foundation waterproofing service includes excavation to the footing, wall cleaning and crack repair, GMX coatings, Delta®-MS membrane from Dörken Systems Inc., footing drainage, and backfill with yard restoration. Homes and light commercial buildings across the Piedmont Triad also rely on these crews for basement waterproofing, crawl space encapsulation, foundation repair, and drainage installation.
Foundation walls spend their entire lives buried in wet soil, and nobody sees what that does until the damage reaches the inside. Chalky deposits appear on the block, paint stops sticking, a damp smell returns every spring, and mortar joints eventually crumble at the touch.
Below grade, water arrives from every direction at once. Loose backfill soaks up rain, groundwater rises from beneath, and clay holds all of it against the masonry for days after the storm passes. Most homes received a thin coat of dampproofing at construction, which slows vapor but was never meant to stop liquid water under pressure.
Real protection goes on the outside, layer by layer. We excavate to the footing, clean the wall, repair cracks and parge where the surface needs it, apply a GMX coating, then cover everything with a dimpled membrane and install drainage at the base before backfilling carefully. Each layer handles a job the others can't.
Moisture that used to soak into your walls now drains past them. The masonry stays dry, mortar quits deteriorating, and the interior finally stops telling you about the weather.
Protection at the wall itself does several things no interior system can match.
Systems installed inside manage water after it enters the wall, which leaves the concrete or block wet in the meantime. Exterior work keeps moisture out of the masonry entirely. Dry material lasts longer, holds mortar better, and resists the freeze cycles that widen cracks.
Drainage installed against the base of the wall gives groundwater somewhere to go besides upward through the block cores. Relieving that pressure protects the wall and everything resting on it. The drain and the membrane function as a pair.
Excavation exposes the exterior face, which is where most cracks actually begin. Fixing them from outside seals the entry point rather than the exit. Nothing gets covered up that should have been repaired first.
Exterior work is a bigger project up front and usually the last one a foundation needs. Homeowners who patch from inside often end up calling again after a few seasons. Handling it from the soil side tends to settle the matter.
Excavation leaves a mess, and putting the property back together is part of the job. Backfill goes in compacted in lifts, topsoil comes next, and sod or seed follows. Grass returns over the weeks after we pull out.
Foundation waterproofing shares a trench with these services, and most projects include more than one.
The full exterior waterproofing service covers excavation, membranes, drainage, and the long-term protection that keeps water out of a basement. It's the umbrella over everything on this page.
Drainage along the footing gives water an exit, which is why exterior drainage installation goes in during the same excavation. A membrane without drainage leaves water sitting against the wall.
The dimpled sheet doing the actual blocking comes from waterproof membrane installation. Material choice and seam detailing decide how long the whole system holds up.
Comparing estimates gets easier once you know what to look for.
Our first excavation in Winston-Salem happened in 1989, and the crews have been at it ever since. Justin Gornto spent years on those crews himself before taking over as owner. Local soil behaves in ways you learn only by working in it season after season.
Some bids cover the wall with one product and call it waterproofed. Our systems combine surface repair, coating, membrane, and drainage because each handles a different failure mode. Ask any contractor what happens when their one layer gets nicked during backfill.
Excavation near a house involves marked utilities and, on many jobs, a permit. The office files what's required and schedules any inspections. Your part is deciding where the crew can park.
Anyone with military service gets 10% taken off the total, foundation work included.
Delta®-MS installations carry a lifetime warranty along with the Delta®-MS Dry Foundation Guarantee. Our standing with the Better Business Bureau, the National Association of Home Builders, and the National Federation of Independent Business backs up the rest.
Excavation disturbs whatever sits next to the house, so beds, shrubs, and sections of lawn along the work area come up. Plants worth saving can be dug and held during the project when you point them out ahead of time. Grading, topsoil, and sod or seed go back once the wall is covered.
Membrane systems installed properly are built to last for decades, and many carry long-term or lifetime warranties. Installation quality, careful backfill, and working drainage determine whether it reaches that mark. Damage during backfill is the most common reason a system underperforms.
Dampproofing is a thin coating that slows moisture vapor and satisfies code on many new builds. Waterproofing uses heavier material designed to stop liquid water under pressure. Homes with basements in this climate generally need the stronger option.
Drier ground in late summer and early fall makes excavation faster and the restoration cleaner. Projects run year-round, though heavy rain and frozen ground can push a schedule. Active leaking is reason enough to start whenever a crew can get there.
Waterproofing seals a crack against water and keeps soil moisture off the repair, which handles leaking cracks well. Structural cracks need repair or reinforcement first, since covering movement doesn't stop it. Both get evaluated before we decide the order of work.
FAQs Reviewed By Justin Gornto, Owner of Piedmont Pressure Seal, a certified exterior waterproofing professional serving Winston-Salem, NC.
Have Piedmont Pressure Seal look at your foundation during a consultation or estimate, and we'll explain what those walls are dealing with. Protecting them costs far less than repairing them.
Business Name: Piedmont Pressure Seal
Address: Winston-Salem, NC, 27104
Phone: 336-778-0094
Business Hours:
Mon - Fri: 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Sat-Sun: Closed
Emergency Services Are Available Upon Request
10% Veterans Discount
Lifetime Warranty On Cosella Dorken Systems
